Page 145 of Reaper

Gunshots ring out and I move in front of the window, aiming and firing off a few rounds as men pour out of the tree line andfrom around the houses. Ducking back, I wait a few moments, but when no one takes a shot at my window, I repeat the action.

As I shoot, I catch sight of a few of their men falling out of the trees and I wonder how Lark and the others even spotted them since they’re dressed to blend in with the trees. Unfortunately for them, they stand out like a sore thumb now that they’re lying in the snow.

Movement has me turning and I fire as someone dressed almost entirely in white steps out from behind the condos. Red blooms on his arm and I duck when he returns fire. Glass rains down on me and I step back, trying to keep most of it from falling on me.

Screams fill the air as we rain bullets down on our attackers. Blood dots the fresh snow all over the yard. As I take care of those in my range, I can’t help keeping an eye on the tree line that has even more blood around it than the yard.

Seeing something shift, I immediately take aim and fire. Blood blooms and I frown at what I see before my eyes widen at the realization of what they’d done.

“Not sure how long those fuckers have been camped out, but I just got one that was lying in the snow with blankets covering them.”

“I see it,”Lark says.

“??(yes), I see,”Sasha replies before saying something in Russian and then Lex’s voice comes over the line, also in Russian.

Fuck, maybe I should look into learning the language so I can understand what they’re saying. I know a few words and phrases, but not enough to keep up.

“??(yes),?????(got it),”he replies.

That much I have caught on to and understand.

Seconds later, more muffled shots ring out and six more red spots instantly appear. Sirens wail in the distance and I curse.

“You already heard it, but it just came over the scanner. Someone’s called this in,”Levi says in frustration and curses.

I groan in frustration as well. That means we can’t interrogate anyone ourselves. We’ll have to hand over anyone that doesn’t escape to the cops. Well, unless it’s Captain Morgan, Officer Morgan or Officer Hughes. They’re Patch’s uncle, cousin, and friend. They’ve helped us out before, but we can’t bank on that.

As the sirens draw closer, the gunshots slow down.

“This isn’t over yet, you scum! I will get what’s been promised to me!”

I frown, trying to place the voice, but can’t.

“It’s X,”Mae’s trembling voice comes over the line.“I’m sure of it. It’s him. He’s here. And if he’s here, then he’s getting desperate.”

When the gunfire dies down, I step back from the window and stride over to the closet, storing my extra ammo in the gun case and then taking off my vest. In the process, a few more glass shards fall on the floor. I rake a hand through my hair, but I don’t feel anything in it. Taking off my cut and shirt, I shake them out, and run a hand over my chest and back, feeling for blood. A little comes away at my neck, but not enough to be concerned about. Thankfully, I don’t feel any glass stuck in the wound, but I’ll have to have Patch check it out later to be sure. As I lower my arm, I know for sure that I’ll need to have Patch check out the rest of the scratches on my arm to make sure there are no glass shards in them.

Tossing my shirt on the bed, I take a new one from the closet and slip it on before putting my cut back on. Leaving my room, I lock it back up and head to the back staircase, needing to put eyes on Lark. I get there right as they come down and my gaze roams over her, looking for injuries. My shoulders sag in relief. She frowns and closes the distance before reaching up and stroking my cheek.

“You’re hurt.”

I look at the blood on her thumb when she pulls back her hand and frown. “I didn’t even look in the mirror. Someone shot the window in my room and glass fell on me.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem bad, so that’s good. Same for your arms. Did the glass get you anywhere else?”

I turn and point to my neck. A moment later, I feel her finger run over it.

“Again, not deep, but they’re still bleeding. Not a lot, but enough to notice.”

The sirens cut off and it’s then that I realize they must be at the gate.

Lark curses. “I’ve got to get my gear off and we need to get down there.”

I stand outside the storage room since it isn’t very big, waiting for her. When she’s done, she goes to step past me, but I wrap my arm around her waist, turning her into me and I crash my lips down on hers. My hands tighten on her waist and my fingers itch to caress her everywhere to make sure she really is okay, but we don’t have time. She pulls back and the little minx giggles at my groan of protest before she gives me another quick peck on the lips.

“Later, Hercules. We need to get downstairs.”

I grumble but know she’s right. We head downstairs with the others and notice that Miracle seems deep in thought. I slow my steps to match hers.